


The Pop'-Off! ((Reigisa Week 3, Day Three: "I don't want to give up!"

by SquaryQ



Series: Reigisa C@ck [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Crushes, First Meetings, Games, Gaming, M/M, Online Friends, Online Friendship, Reigisa Week, meeting online friends, mobile gaming, online crush, popping stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 09:58:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5703454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquaryQ/pseuds/SquaryQ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't want to give up!"</p><p>"To think that those two would have made it to the finals of this weird tournament is ridiculous!"</p><p>"The first guy majors in maths, he's a sure win." </p><p>Or at least that's what everybody else thought, until a perky blond kid showed up and blew the competition away. Who would have known that Popping Stars would have been such an intense game to play in a tournament!?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pop'-Off! ((Reigisa Week 3, Day Three: "I don't want to give up!"

Tokyo had never seen such a bizarre sort of world record tournament. The nerds of Japan had come together for a three day gaming convention - which contained a world record setting gaming challenge - to defeat the reigning world champion of the game Popping Stars in a Pop'-Off. In the process, said champion declared their determination to completely annihilate their previous world record - 80 THOUSAND points. 

 

A blue haired teenager from the University of Central Tokyo enters the event hall, pushing up his glasses and smiling as he enters the convention and receiving his wristband for the day. He would have to move immediately toward the Pop'-Off hall to be ready to go at the start of the event. He was yet to see anybody wearing a lanyard like his, and began to fear that he may be going the wrong way. 

 

That's when his attention shifts to a blond who skips past. The blue haired teen's jaw drops as he gawks at this blond in the girlish pastel colour pallet. As the blond skips onward, Rei Ryugazaki, the blue haired teen notices a lanyard around the blond's neck. 

 

"Hey!" Rei calls, causing the short haired blond to stop and turn back around to face him - dressed in a salmon pink pair of capri pants and a mint green plunge back vest top, the blond looks even more feminine. But his flat chest and relatively masculine yet cherubic expression validate that this is in fact, a guy. 

 

"Hi! Oh! You're in the Pop'-Off too? I'm Hazuki Nagisa!" the blond bops his head as he speaks to the dumbstruck Rei. 

 

"I'm Ryugazaki Rei," and with his introduction out of the way, Rei pushes up his glasses. It's now Nagisa's turn to stare in disbelief. The blond had been worried about the tournament, but upon seeing another player, he felt at ease. Rei looked more prepared for competition than Nagisa felt he was, namely due to the aura he was emitting, one of relative confidence with only tinges of anxiety and fear. Unlike Nagisa, who was frolicking for the sake of making himself appear as if he's shaking like a Chihuahua. 

 

"Your name is...Rei-chan?"

 

"Rei-chan?!?" Rei flinches at the use of such an informal honourific, it implied that the pair were really close, and made him feel rather awkward. The blue haired teen adjusts his glasses for the second time in a few minutes, trying to remain composed as he's suddenly given a close standing with this blond.

 

Rei takes a deep breath and forces himself to smile at the blond, above his head he can see the clock, and more worryingly, the crowds of potential new world record holders wandering past them, "I'm glad to see I'm not painfully early! Though we really shouldn't dilly dally!"

 

"Nah,we're good!" Nagisa replies, "How high's your high score, Rei-chan?" 

 

Rei grimaces and balls his clammy hands into a fist, "Sixty thousand. Now, I'm going to go on ahead. Maybe I'll see you in the finals, Nagisa-kun!"

 

Nagisa-kun? Where had that come from? 

 

Rei heads inside a secluded room in the convention, decorated withfairy lights and beanbags. Charging ports and extension chords cross the room like an ornate and comical resin for tiled floor. After looking around the competitors, Rei settles into a comfortable chair in the corner of the grounds for the Pop'-Off and punches a username into the app, that will be posted onto a leader board when the event begins, deciding to go with something different to what his classmates would associate him with, Rei punches in a username that is a nickname from an online group chat with a bunch of other gamers - MrLogic14128-3he intended to meet for the first time IRL at this convention later in the weekend. Once he had won the Pop'-Off. 

 

Upon submitting his username, another appears on the leaderboard. One he recognises in an instant - one that his friend from the group chat uses. The only name Rei knows for his online crush. MadRockhopperInSANITY66369. Oh what a weird thing infatuation was - it held no bounds, no restrictions and only someone with such a reasonable username such as MrLogic14128-3 could fall for someone as random as MadRockhopperInSANITY66369. Rei blushes at the thought of the object of his affections being in his hall with him and allows his gaze to flutter from person to person, pausing as he analysed the appearances of the women in the room - all Rei knew about this person was that she, assuming it was a she, has blonde hair and is kind of short. 

 

With an exasperated sigh, Rei adjusts his glasses. Now is the time to play for a world record. Later, he would have all the time he needed to look for MadRockhoperInSANITY66369. 

 

A pop up appears on Rei's phone, a count down. Three. Two. One. It's Game Time!

 

As the hour ticked on and staff members came and went with refreshments for the gamers that had been playing Popping Stars pf all games, for a long time now. There were only five left after the first hour. Including that annoying yet sweet Hazuki Nagisa, and MadRockhopperInSANITY66369. There were two girls left in the room, one was blonde but even taller than Rei was, the other had her hair bundled into a high ponytail. That was 'KouNOTGouKOU' - a player he had competed with before on an online equivalent of Popping Stars via Skype. She was cute and nice, but had a firey temper and was better as a friend, that he was certain of. 

 

Rei watches at the final five play. Four more players. Not including himself, the line-up consisted upon, MadRockhopperInSANITY66369, KouNOTGouKOU, a dark haired guy and Nagisa. Rei plays, heart pounding as the 80 thousand mark grows closer and closer. Nobody is making haste, not even the exuberant blond he had met earlier that day. 

 

The screen shifts on the leaderboard and the group's collective breaths hitch and a wail of disappointment echoes through the now practically empty hall - the dark haired guy just lost - Kizzu298. 

 

It was the blonde girl who lost next, cursing loudly as she left ten blocks at the end of her level, not nine - three hundred and eighty points would have easily seen her through into the next level, but one star ruined her chances. She makes a fist and slams it against the floor.

 

The screen at the front of the hall changes from a leader board to a three way split screen - a yellow rimmed frame, a red rimmed frame and a purple rimmed frame containing different versions of the current level each three of the finalists were on - Level Twenty Six. The battle was clearly on, and Rei's target was well in sight - so close to him he could almost touch it. 

 

"Heh, Quit while you're ahead Ryugazaki! No way are you beating me today!" KouNOTGouKOU sneers, cracking her knuckles. Rei pushes up his glasses and smirks. 

 

"You've already missed your chance of winning by deleting that three piece line of greens, Miss KouNOTGouKOU."

 

The redheaded girl shrieks, realising her mistake has thrown a whole line out reach. She can't connect those two large clusters of blue now because the blue star she wanted to use is now one row too low. She shouts in aggravation as Rei smirks smugly and pushes up his glasses. 

 

Nagisa is midway through accumulating a large collection of green stars that may push him into the next level, where the clearing exceeds eighty thousand stars. The blond is nervous, nibbling on the skin on his lips, feeling the pressure as the blue haired tactful teen moves through the level with little to no hesitation. 

 

Nagisa yelps as he clears Level Twenty Six. He could win, but he doubts he will. Ryugazaki Rei clears it merely a minute later, and acquires a three hundred and eighty point bonus by having only nine stars remaining. Rei's ahead and clearly intends to maintain this lead. 

 

"Rei-chan..." Nagisa glances at the blue haired teen and makes a fist as his opponent meets his gaze. "I won't lose! I don't want to give up! I will beat you!"

 

"What a change in demeanour..." Rei muses, eyes flickering to the blond's score... and his username. He; Hazuki Nagisa was MadRockhopperInSANITY66369! He was the person Rei had been chatting with casually and almost flirtatiously with via a gaming group chat. This is the person he has a crush on. In the flesh! This is MadRockhopperInSANITY66369! This was him! 

 

Rei attempts to remain composed as he collects his thoughts, "I'm not going to go easy on you." his breath hitches, trying to sound like he hasn't been crushing on this person behind the penguin profile picture for MONTHS now. This is embarrassing, Really embarrassing.

 

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Nagisa-kun," he smirks, adjusting his glasses and continuing to delete stars as they align. 

 

The numbers are close. The room is silent, par the sound of the game deleting the stars with a bang. Both Rei and Nagisa are trying to avoid looking at the other's score. Neither wants to lose, but Rei's almost there, almost at eighty thousand. He's almost beat the record. Nagisa is bound to be on his heels and the pressure is unbelievable. 

 

 

Spectators have began to accumulate and people are starting to voice their opinions on the finalists. KouNOTGouKOU stands on the sidelines with some of the earlier losers.

 

"To think that those two would have made it to the finals of this weird tournament is ridiculous!"

 

"The first guy majors in maths, he's a sure win." 

 

"I don't know..."

 

A ringing sound emits from the leader board. The record has been smashed. By both parties. Rei grits his teeth and Nagisa's palms are sweaty. Their knees are weak and arms are heavy. Nagisa's throat is dry like a desert and Rei's constantly wiping his palms on his jeans. This is too close to call.

 

A shout. A second shout. Two sounds and a 'Game Over' sign moves through the screen.

 

"Dammit! I thought I would beat my record this time! Congratulations, Rei-chan."

 

"Your record?"

 

"Oh right..." The blond ducks his head sheepishly, "I am, was, the world record holder for Popping Stars AND the host of this Pop'-Off! Hazuki Nagisa's the name! Nice to meet you, winner!"

 

Rei's jaw simply drops.

 

Five minutes after receiving a photo for the next World Record Book, he faints. 

 

'Today was bizarre... how could something so random be so memorable.'


End file.
